Today Is The Longest Day Of The Year — Welcome to Summer Solstice, the Start of a New Cycle!

It is the time when either of the two occasions in the year happens: when the Sun is directly above either the furthest point north or the furthest point south of the equator that it ever reaches.

These are the times in the year, in the middle of the summer or winter, when there are the longest hours of day or night. This is known as solstice. The word solstice means ‘sun standing still’. We can track the cycles of the Sun just like we can track the cycles of the Moon from full moon to new moon.

It is a very significant moment which helps us to witness the transfer of a very strong energy. The basic reason for the seasons is because the plane of the ecliptic is titled with respect to the celestial equator the respective hemispheres receive more direct or less direct sunlight at different times in the Earth’s orbit around the Sun.

This is easy to see in a picture. In the northern hemisphere note that the sun in the summer solstice rises in the northeast, moves high across the sky and settles in the northwest. In the northern hemisphere in the winter solstice, the Sun rises in the southeast, scoots low across the sky and sets in the south-west.

Summer Solstice (Northern Hemisphere)

Many people throughout the northern hemisphere have likely noticed that it gets dark earlier in the winter than it does during the summer. In fact, some of the shortest days of the year with respect to daylight hours are marked in late December mark.

Yet inevitably, as we move into spring the days start getting longer and continue doing so until we reach the summer solstice. The summer solstice often occurs around June 21st and is the longest day of the year that also signifies the first official day of summer. During this event, a lot of positive energy is released from the Sun which helps people to increase their power and sustenance.

This, in turn, increases our focus and the time we devote towards achieving our goals. It gives us the energy to work harder so that our actions can be fruitful. It shows us all the part of our lives that was hidden and gives us the strength to share it with the rest of the world. Doing this makes us feel good and also help us realize the purpose that we were born for.

Winter Solstice (Southern Hemisphere)

On our winter solstice, the Sun appears to reach its most southerly point in the year. It is the shortest day of the year here. This day occurs on the 22nd of December. The Sun doesn’t really move, but it looks like it does to us. That’s because our Earth is tilted as it revolves around the Sun once a year.

On the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, the Earth has tilted away from the Sun. At that time it’s summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. The winter solstice marks “peak darkness” for the Southern Hemisphere.

So it is the shortest day and the longest night for that hemisphere during the year. This is the time of the year when darkness prevails. We are surrounded by more negative than positive energy. However, this is not a very bad thing as we need to overcome the darkness in order to imbibe positive energy.

This is the time that helps us realize who we really are and what we represent. We should focus more on self-love and self-acceptance. The world will be a better place with peace and harmony.